Plop!

The sound, akin to a stone being thrown into water, captured everyone's attention. Peach Blossom remained oblivious, engrossed in splashing water at everyone without noticing the shift in her companions' demeanor.

"Stop splashing, Peach Blossom!"

Siegfried commanded in hushed tone, attentively listening for the odd noise.

"What's wrong?"

Peach Blossom looked up, puzzled by her brother's suddenly serious expression.

"There's something in the water..."

Rafael whispered. Before Peach Blossom could inquire further, a series of rapid plops emanated from behind, not far from their boat.

"We're in trouble,"

Chang Long murmured, her voice low but clear to everyone due to the silence. Without Davy-chan, who had retired to her spirit tablet thinking the journey would be uneventful, Chang Long could not identify the source of the noises.

The boat slowed almost to a halt, heightening the group's anxiety. Surrounded by still waters and fog, they felt the eerie sensation of being watched by numerous unseen entities, prompting them to ready their weapons.

Plop!

The noise sounded again, this time much closer. As everyone searched for the noise's origin, Chang Long, with sharper eyes, spotted a green creature blending with the lake's water. It resembled a human but lacked hair, with fins where the ear should be. Its body was covered in scales, even on its face. Its large, completely black eyes, devoid of whites. It lacked a nose but had gill-like slits on its jawline. and thin, pink lips. Its hands and feet were webbed, hinting at its swift swimming capabilities. When it locked eyes with Chang Long a grin spread on its face, revealing its sharp teeth, the system announced:

"A Level 45 Water Nymph has appeared."

Chang Long froze, blinking rapidly at the creature, too afraid to move lest it provoked an attack.

"B...boat, if you can hear me, get us out of here as fast as you can, right now..."

She whispered, barely moving her lips, but the boat remained unresponsive.

"Chang Long, did you see what made that noise?"

Oliang asked, moving closer. His movement prompted the water nymph to charge towards the boat swiftly.

"Aahhhh... Go, go now!"

Chang Long yelled in panic, prompting the boat to suddenly accelerate away, nearly causing everyone aboard to lose their balance and fall into the water.

Chang Long slumped down, relieved amid the curious gazes of everyone, demanding an explanation. She shook her head and pointed behind her without turning around, prompting everyone to look in the direction she indicated, resulting in a collective gasp of shock.

"What are those things? They're following us in a swarm!"

Wet Trash Can was the first to notice and exclaimed in alarm.

"Water nymphs,"

Chang Long answered, feeling heavy-hearted.

"Water nymphs? Why are they chasing us?"

Oliang asked, in panic.

"Maybe they think we disturbed their afternoon nap,"

Chang Long replied nonchalantly.

"Ha! Just low-level water nymphs. This is easy!"

Peach Blossom thought Chang Long was mocking her, as she had been the one causing the ripples and noises, so she stood up and immediately cast a frost spell at the approaching swarm of water sprites.

The spell froze them solid above the water's surface. Peach Blossom turned to smirk at Chang Long before sitting back down. Chang Long was not upset, knowing this was just how Peach Blossom had been since they first met.

Their moment of ease was short-lived as they heard an enraged roar from behind and saw the water nymphs swimming rapidly towards the boat, constantly growling in anger. It was not hard to guess what was about to happen.

The elve city of Eldar was in turmoil, the civilians retreated deeper into the thick forest behind the city, with the dryads' help. The city guards mobilized to defend their home against the goblin horde, striving to protect the Tree of Life sapling from destruction.

"How's the situation!?"

Albeis, standing at the city's central square, inquired about the battle status from a reporting soldier.

"We are outmatched by their numbers, I fear we won't hold them off for much longer," the soldier reported.

"Master Albeis..."

Another elf called out, noticing his prolonged silence.

"How long can we hold them off?"

Albeis asked, his expression grave.

"At least ten hours, thanks to the dryads' help, giving us a bit more time,"

the soldier responded. Albeis nodded and seemed ready to leave.

"Where are you going, Master Albeis!?"

A concerned elf lady asked, fearing he might join the fight himself.

"Ifa... Let's go to the Tree of Life. Even though I trust Chang Long's group to eliminate the Goblin King, we must not be complacent. If necessary, I'll relocate the Tree of Life elsewhere..."

The elf spoke with deep seriousness.

"Master Albeis... Yes, sir!"

Ifa acknowledged his determination and followed him to the city's edge, where the Tree of Life was growing.

"Ah... I was in such a hurry I forgot to warn them!"

The elf spoke up after they had walked for a while.

"About what, sir?" Ifa asked curiously, tilting her head.

"About the water nymphs. I forgot to tell them not to disturb the water in the lake at all costs. Otherwise, the water nymphs will come out to block their way,"

Albeis said with a slightly worried expression.

"They probably wouldn't be so careless,"

Ifa confidently smiled, trusting the visitors' wisdom. From what Efae, her sister, had told her, Chang Long's group seemed like experts who were intelligent, cautious, and capable of assessing situations well.

"I also think they would not. But if they did. I hope they didn't attack the water nymphs. Otherwise, they will be pursued relentlessly until death..."

Albeis nodded, not too worried, having a lot of faith in Chang Long and her group.

"I'm sure that won't happen. They'll surely make it through smoothly and land without any incidents!"

Ifa declared with certainty.

"Indeed,"

Albeis smiled at Ifa and continued towards the Tree of Life, with Ifa following closely, happy to see Albeis smile after a long period of tension.

Albeis and Ifa's confidence seemed misplaced, as now nearly a hundred enraged water nymphs were in hot pursuit of Chang Long's group. Peach Blossom, initially arrogant, began to feel guilty for her actions. Without knowing what else to do, the group could only hope their boat continued at high speed, and the water nymphs would give up chasing them. But it seemed unlikely they would be granted such luck. The boat kept speeding, and the water nymphs remained persistent in their chase.

"I can see the shore now!!"

Aden announced joyfully to his friends.

"Great! Hopefully, those water nymphs won't follow us onto land,"

Wet Trash Can shared the joy, with everyone nodding in agreement. However, their hope faded as they clearly saw what awaited them on the shore.

"Goblins!!"

Rafael exclaimed, dumbfounded. Were they really that unlucky?

"Fleeing from water nymphs to run into the goblins..."

Chang Long rolled her eyes, unsure whether to laugh or cry at their situation.

"I guess this is where we die. Haha,"

Oliang resignedly said. Everyone gave a weak smile, except Peach Blossom, who glanced at the goblin horde and then back at the pursuing water nymphs, almost wanting to cry.

"Peach Blossom..."

Chang Long called out. Peach Blossom immediately turned with a look of indignation, as if ready to argue.

"What do you want! You're going to blame me, aren't you? Yes! It's all my fault. The water nymphs, thinking you were a man—it's all my fault!"

Peach Blossom lashed out, venting her frustration on Chang Long.

"No, I just wanted to tell you to cast a fire spell on those goblins on the shore to scatter them, that's all,"

Chang Long said, taken aback by Peach Blossom's sudden outburst.

"Oh... okay!"

Peach Blossom responded meekly, her face flushed with embarrassment. She pretended to walk to the front of the boat to focus and prepare to cast her spell, amidst the amused glances from everyone else, though none dared to laugh outright.

"The one who can handle Peach Blossom with ease, it seems you're the first, Chang Long."

Rafael, gave her a thumbs up. Draco and Siegfried nodded in agreement. Chang Long just shrugged as if to say it was no big deal and then turned to wait for the boat to reach the shore, which was just a few minutes away.

Goblin arrows welcomed Chang Long's group first, causing everyone to duck down, leaving Draco to deflect the arrows with his spear. The limited space on the boat meant they could not all brandish their weapons simultaneously!

"Fire now!"

Chang Long commanded, and Peach Blossom immediately threw her fireballs at the goblins blocking their way to the shore.

The goblins scattered, allowing the boat to dock and Chang Long's group to safely disembark. However, they had to sprint away from the shore immediately as the water nymphs continued their relentless pursuit, even attempting to follow them onto land.

"Let's get out of here!"

Chang Long led the group away from the area quickly, with goblins and the water nymphs who started running after them, unexpectedly fast in hot pursuit.

"Oh man! Are we even going to survive this quest?"

Aden, usually more composed than his friends, voiced his anxiety upon seeing the horde of creatures following them.

"Hey!"

Wet Trash Can shouted as he narrowly dodged an arrow, then continued running without looking back.

The water nymphs, seeing their prey being attacked, turned their rage towards the goblins. A fierce skirmish broke out between the two sides. The goblins, unwilling to let the other disrespect their formidable goblin bravery, retaliated at the water nymphs' provocation, forgetting their pursuit of Chang Long's group altogether.

"Look, they're fighting each other now,"

Oliang remarked as the group watched the unfolding chaos from a safe distance.

"Good for us. No more running till our tongues hang out. Let's rest here for a bit before we continue our journey,"

Siegfried suggested, relieved. Everyone agreed and took a moment to rest behind bushes and rocks, offering perfect cover.

After taking a brief rest and eating canned food, Chang Long's group continued their journey, guided by Davy-chan. They were all surprised because as they ventured deeper into the forest, they encountered only dead trees and withered grass. With dark thick rain clouds above their heads, the journey was rough; the ground was uneven, full of holes and sharp rocks everywhere. Peach Blossom stumbled several times, resulting in several bloody wounds. By the time they thought they had reached the goblin camp, they were all quite worse for wear.

Tents made from various animal hides were pitched, some still dripping blood from the skins. In front of each tent stood tall poles with the heads of hunted creatures impaled on top, including the heads of elves, creating a horrifying sight for Chang Long's group watching from a distance.

"Eek!"

Peach Blossom let out softly before turning her head away, unable to bear the sight.

"It seems there are only a few of them guarding the camp. What should we do?"

Rafael inquired.

"Let's first identify our target before making our move. It's best not to risk unnecessarily,"

Chang Long suggested.

"You mean the Goblin King's tent, right?"

Aden asked. Chang Long nodded. Everyone immediately started searching for the tent that might belong to the Goblin King, except for Peach Blossom, who had decided she would rather not look again.

"Could that be that tent over there?"

Draco suggested, pointing towards a large tent positioned on a mound at the camp's center.

"It must be! Look, there are guards around it too. None of the other tents have any guard,"

Oliang agreed.

"The guards look pretty formidable,"

Wet Trash Can expressed his concern. The 5 goblins guarding the tent were armed with armor and superior weapons, unlike any goblin they had encountered before.

"If we want to finish this quest, we've got no choice but to storm in, Wet Trash Can,"

Chang Long said with a smile, despite the worry in her heart.

"I know, I know, Chang Long. I didn't say we wouldn't charge in. So, Siegfried, how do you suggest we form up for this?"

Wet Trash Can said, somewhat resigned, before turning to ask Siegfried, who was sitting beside him with a tense expression.

"I'll take on the Goblin King myself. As for those 5 guards by the tent, Rafael, Draco, Oliang, Wet Trash Can... and Aden will have to divide them amongst themselves. Chang Long and Peach Blossom, you two will support us. If any additional forces come to their aid, you'll need to block them. Does that work for everyone?"

Siegfried shared his plan, and everyone agreed.

"Then let's go!"

Chang Long was the first to stand, and the group moved out from their hiding spot towards the large tent, led by Siegfried.

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